I like the trailering backwards idea... I guess this only works if you un-pin the rudders.
On a second thought ... if something would go wrong while stepping the mast that would not turn out to well for your own car?!
Patrick

As with anything, look at what you are buying. Look at the load rating for the straps and allow yourself a personal saftey factor for the load they are rated. Also, after a year or two in the sun, replace the straps. UV is not nylon's friend. This is the case no matter where you purchase the straps. This would fall under preventative maintenece for your trailer.

ALSO , THink about trailiering the boat Correctly, I know I am going to get a lot of laughs for this but, trailer the boat Sterns (rudders) first. Then Place the Back post over the front rollers of the trailer gives the best togue weight, There is a reason, When it comes time to put up the mast, leave the trailer attached to the car, Roll the boat off half way till the back post are over the back rollers. Then a single person acon walk up the mast, and place the bridle pin all by their lonesome, I use to do this when I was 15 years old. it works great, but a lot of people will stare and ask why you tow your boad backwards>>

I may try this backward towing...[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO4RxwvjKtM&sns=em[/youtube]

looks like it had been pushed back some already. But yeah, I imagine it may stick out the back a bit more, just depends on how your trailer is balanced. You want about 60 % or more of the weight to the tongue side of center. Too much weight back and trailer will want to sway.

Check the straps' tension at 1 mile, 10 miles and 100 miles, and then every 100 miles after. From personal experience, straps that were wet when put on will loosen after the blow dry.

You're not going tight enough son.

I use the 2" wide 5k# straps. I crank until it creaks. Ancra is a good brand.

I leave here, drive 1400 miles to Florida, and everything is just as tight as when I left.

Hobie 16's (remember those?) are banana boats and mostly travel on trailers with single rollers (unlike Karl's nearly rocker-less boats strapped, front to back, over the beams, on a carpeted snowmobile trailer).Loads shift during transport, usually forward, and what seems to be nice and snug in the parking lot will more than likely loosen up after bouncing around a bit on our (winky by comparison) trailers. I was merely trying to get folks in the habit of stopping, getting out, and checking their straps/load (and I have more than once found something laying on the tramp I forgot to put in the trunk at that one mile stop )

The problem with trailer loads is that when you combine bouncing and other movement, the pressure against strapping will vastly exceed the weight of the item. This is why strapping stretches. With practice, you can nail the right tension the first time you tighten, but you need to understand that you have to balance tension to deforming the load.

Tighten, drive ten miles, check. If the adjustment is major, tighten, drive another ten miles, check again. Once you get to just needing a very minor adjustment, start your regular routine. This should be 100 to 150 miles between stops (roughly two to three hours of driving).

At each stop, check your hubs immediately upon stopping. How hot are they? If you can't put your hand on them, they're too warm. Get a drink, go to the bathroom, and return to your vehicle. Check strapping (it may have come loose during the trip, or some dastardly person might have loosened it in the parking lot). Check lug nuts, ball hitch, safety chain, anything loose, damage. You never can check too much.

I connect the jib lines to the bridal. The trap dogbones go onto the jib track release. The shrouds and trap wires come to the back of the boat and I use 2 small bungee cords to hold the wires to the mast around the comptip. Done this for years with no problems. Makes it really easy to setup later.